Day 9 of Middle East conflict — new Iranian leader named, global markets react to oil surges

• Iran’s new leader: Slain longtime ruler Ali Khamenei’s son Mojtaba has been named the country’s next supreme leader. US President Donald Trump previously said Mojtaba would be an “unacceptable” choice.

• Regional attacks: Gulf states reported fresh aerial strikes, with dozens wounded in Bahrain. A seventh US service member has died in Saudi Arabia.

• War not abating : Israel said it launched new strikes on Beirut and central Iran, while Tehran announced new missile launches hours after it named its new leader. Trump said he will decide, together with Israel, when the war will end.

• School strike: New video appears to confirm a US airstrike targeted a naval base next to an Iranian school. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the US was “still investigating,” while Trump is pointing the finger at Iran.

• Oil shock roils markets: Asian markets sank as oil surged past $100 per barrel, a four-year high.

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New video appears to confirm US airstrike on IRGC base adjacent to Minab school

00:07 • Source: CNN

New video appears to confirm US airstrike on IRGC base adjacent to Minab school

00:07

A newly emerged video appears to show a US airstrike targeting a building at the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) naval base adjacent to the elementary school in Minab, where Iranian state media says more than 160 pupils were killed on February 28.

The video, posted on Mehr News, a semi-official Iranian news agency, is the first to show missiles striking the area, and adds to a body of evidence that appears to contradict recent claims by US President Donald Trump casting blame on Iran.

In the footage, filmed from a nearby construction site, a munition consistent with an American BGM or UGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) is seen before it strikes a location inside the IRGC base. The US Navy operates Tomahawks, launching them from its surface ships and submarines. Israel does not operate the Tomahawk missile, according to experts.

As the camera pans to the right, a huge plume of smoke is seen from the direction of the Shajareh Tayyiba elementary school in Minab. Dozens of people can be seen in the foreground running away from the strikes.

Sam Lair, a research associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS), told CNN the munition in the video is consistent with a US Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM):

Other weapons experts consulted by CNN agreed with this assessment and added that TLAMs are often used in opening salvos before air supremacy is achieved. It was not immediately clear which exact building was struck, but an analysis by CNN suggested that it hit a building within or immediately next to a medical clinic operated by the IRGC at the base.

Last week, investigations by CNN and other media outlets suggested the US was likely responsible for the strike. Satellite imagery, geolocated videos, public statements from US officials and the assessment of munitions experts suggest that the school was hit at around the same time as an attack that American forces likely carried out on a neighboring IRGC naval base.

The US Department of Defense did not immediately respond to questions about the use of a Tomahawk missile on Sunday. When previously asked about the strikes, US Central Command told CNN that “it would be inappropriate to comment given the incident is under investigation.”

The new video shows smoke nearby at the time of the strike, suggesting nearby sites may also have been targeted shortly before. “The geolocated video shows a cruise missile hitting one of the centrally located buildings at the base,” said Lair. He added that while the video does not show the moment of impact on the school, it “was likely part of the same strike and would have been accompanied by other, similar cruise missiles.”

CNN is continuing efforts to obtain images of the remnants of the munition that hit the school. Such evidence is key in assessing responsibility for a strike, and without it, assessments cannot be conclusive.

On Saturday, Trump cast blame upon Iran for the Minab strike, contradicting analyses from CNN and other media outlets.

“Based on what I’ve seen, that was done by Iran,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. Trump further characterized Iranian munitions as “very inaccurate.”

Asked by a reporter whether that was true, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, “We’re certainly investigating. But the only side that targets civilians is Iran.”

The White House has not previously ruled out that US military personnel carried out the strike. Iran has blamed the US for the Minab school strike, according to Iranian state media.

The Israeli military said it carried out a strike in Beirut overnight that killed several senior commanders from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force.

In a statement on Sunday, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the strike targeted five commanders from the Quds Force’s Lebanon Corps and Palestine Corps. The IDF said they were reportedly meeting at a hotel in the Lebanese capital.
According to IDF, the Lebanon Corps of the Quds Force serves as a key link between Hezbollah and Iran.

Lebanon said the strike, which targeted a hotel room in Beirut at dawn, killed four people and injured 10 others, according to the state-run National News Agency.

A seventh US service member died in the Iran war, US Central Command announced today, saying the American died from injuries received from a March 1 attack on US troops in Saudi Arabia.

“Last night, a U.S. service member passed away from injuries received during the Iranian regime’s initial attacks across the Middle East,” US Central Command said on X. “The service member was seriously wounded at the scene of an attack on U.S. troops in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on March 1.”

The name of the service member is being withheld until 24 hours after their next of kin is notified, as is custom.

The news of the fallen service member comes a day after the dignified transfer for the six soldiers who were killed in the war last week in Kuwait. President Donald Trump and other top officials joined the families of those troops as their loved ones were brought home at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

The president has previously said there will likely be more US casualties in the Iran war. Asked Saturday whether he thought he would have to attend more dignified transfers, Trump said, “I’m sure. I hate to … but it’s a part of war.”

This post has been updated with additional information.

CNN’s Nick Paton Walsh reports from central Tel Aviv:

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Iranian missile debris strikes Tel Aviv

After Iranian missile debris caused damage in central Tel Aviv, investigators are scrutinizing the scene to determine if there is evidence of new Iranian missile technology. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh explains.

01:01 • Source: CNN

Iranian missile debris strikes Tel Aviv

01:01

Khamenei’s name as Iran’s leader will continue, a member of Iran’s Assembly of Experts, the body tasked with choosing Iran’s next supreme leader, said Sunday, although a final decision has not yet been announced.

In a video carried by Iranian media, Hosseinali Eshkevari said “the issue of determining the leadership… has been completed.”

Eshkevari’s comment suggests that Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of the slain Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, will be announced supreme leader.

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Mattie Trujillo

Day 9 of Middle East conflict — new Iranian leader named, global markets react to oil surges

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